Turkey: Konya
Konya is the religious center of Turkey and you immediately see it in the austere all-covering clothing and the sheer amount of mosques and madrassas. The city center is crammed with museums and monuments of Seljuk period. Mevlna Museum is the main attraction here – a religious center that holds the tomb of Mevlana Rumi, who founded the Dervish sect of Sufism. There are several tombs and religious artifacts inside and it’s a major pilgrimage center. Also must see are old medreses – Ince Minare Medrese (now a stone carving museum) and Karatay Medrese (now a tile museum). Highest point in town is the famous Allaedin Mosque from the 13th century (it still preserved original wooden columns inside), surrounded by ruins of a citadel and a large park. But the mosques don’t stop here – there is also a stupendous massive Selimiye Mosque and an absolutely gorgeous Aziziye Mosque, and a beautiful Iplikci Mosque.
